Viking plans to add 10 new river and ocean-going cruise ships

The cruise industry is growing by leaps and bounds, with companies regularly announcing the upcoming launch of new ships. But none can compete with the marathon efforts of Viking, which is adding two new ships to its fleet in 2018, another ship in 2019 and seven new river boats.

Viking, which currently operates a fleet of 62 vessels, offers scenic cruising along the rivers and oceans of the Americas, Europe, Russia, Egypt, China and Southeast Asia.

By 2019, the company will operate six 930-passenger ocean cruise ships and will sail itineraries in Scandinavia and the Baltic, the western and eastern Mediterranean, Asia, Australia, North America and the Caribbean.

Upcoming additions to its fleet include the Viking Ra, which will launch next March, sailing on the Nile River in Egypt; and the Viking Orion, which will become the company’s fifth ocean ship when it launches next summer. Retired U.S. NASA astronaut Anna Fisher has been named godmother. It will spend its maiden year sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean, before sailing to Asia, Australia and then Alaska.